Whether rain or shine, Toronto is a yearlong bustling city, the largest in Canada and the fourth largest in North America. It’s become a cosmopolitan center with its renowned business district and cultural venues/ events that come alive during the summer and early fall nights. Toronto suggests a beautifully diverse urban setting between shimmering high rises and smaller brick houses, intertwining residential and vibrant commercial areas, public parks, and even beaches. All become part of the city's striking skyline, crowned by the iconic CN tower.
Toronto’s ongoing sprawl and constant urban development are noticeable as new projects spread through the city, weaving themselves into the existing buildings, from 19th-century landmarks such as the Gooderham Building to modern and contemporary major works like the Aga Khan Museum. These new constructions include increasing adaptive reuse and retrofitted projects throughout the city as more efforts and incentives are provided to reduce carbon emissions.
The following projects represent 25 must-see buildings in Toronto's downtown by Frank Gehry, Mies Van Der Rohe, Will Alsop, Studio Libeskind, Foster + Partners, and many others.
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The Queen City: Museums and the Arts in TorontoCN Tower / John Andrews, Webb Zerafa, E.R. Baldwin, and Menkes Housen
Gooderham Building / David Roberts Jr.
Commerce Court North / Darling and Pearson
Robarts Library / Warner, Burns, Toan & Lunde
Toronto City Hall / Viljo Revell
The Art Gallery of Ontario / Frank Gehry
Royal Bank Plaza / WZMH Architects
Roy Thomson Hall / Arthur Erickson
Scotia Plaza / WZMH Architects
Toronto Public Library / Raymond Moriyama
Toronto-Dominion Centre / Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe + John B. Parkin and Associates + Bregman + Hamann Architects
Royal Ontario Museum - Crystal / Studio Libeskind + Bregman + Hamann Architects
Sharp Centre for Design / Will Alsop
First Canadian Place / Edward Durell Stone + Bregman + Hamann Architects
The Aga Khan Museum / Maki and Associates
York University School of Continuing Studies / Perkins&Will
Bridgepoint Active Healthcare / Stantec Architecture + KPMB Architects + HDR Architecture + Diamond Schmitt Architects
Fort York Branch Library / KPMB Architects
Ryerson University Student Learning Centre / Zeidler Architecture + Snøhetta
The Bergeron Centre For Engineering Excellence / ZAS Architects
University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Jackman Law Building / Hariri Pontarini Architects + B+H Architects
L Tower / Studio Libeskind
Albion Library / Perkins+Will Canada
Tower Automotive Building, Museum of Contemporary Art / architectsAlliance
Fort York National Historic Site Visitor Centre / Patkau Architects + Kearns Mancini Architects
You can visit our list of Architecture City Guides.
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